Ping Ruoyu only remembered hearing Prince Fu mention that there was a Zhendu Gate in the palace. It was also divided into categories like this, collecting all the rare treasures in the world, as well as weapons and armors that the imperial court relied on. Now it seemed that the scale of this place was not much worse, or even better. Ping Ruoyu had reason to believe that whoever could be the owner of these things would be able to sit on the throne.
However, who exactly was the owner of this underground treasury? Did the emperor know? Or perhaps he was the one who ordered it to be buried in case of an emergency? Or maybe the emperor of the Ming Dynasty decided to store it himself, or his subordinates acted privately and secretly stored it underground. After the city fell, Emperor Chong Zhen killed his concubines one by one, and he hanged himself on Coal Mountain. Was the whereabouts of this large number of treasures lost?
But now it was suspicious. Did the group of black-clothed people deliberately lead her in? Was this their base camp, or was it a sinister trap set by them? Every nerve in his body was stretched taut, and every hair on his body was standing on end. Suddenly she heard a sigh behind her. Ping Ruoyu suddenly turned around, holding her sword horizontally in front of her chest, and shouted, "Who is it? If you have the ability, don't hide in the dark and pretend to be a ghost! "
A figure slowly walked out from the darkness, as if he had come to answer her question. The dark shadow on the ground was even more narrow and long. When the person came in front of her, he suddenly let out a faint sigh, and said, "Ruoyu, I am very sorry that you found out the secret." As soon as his voice fell, his face was fully revealed from the shadows.
Ping Ruoyu stared at him blankly. For a moment, she forgot that she was in a dangerous situation. She also forgot that the situation was not good for her. She forgot that she still had a mission to do. She also had to please Shangguan Yaohua. Her lips wriggled a few times, but she could not say a word.
— — —
Li Yijie and the other two led a mixed group of soldiers and generals, shuttling back and forth between the various palaces, not even letting go of any corner of the Forbidden City. Shen Shiyun became even more irritable and said, "Could it be that that person grew wings and flew away? Humph, there's no one in this world that I can't deal with. "Nangong Xue suddenly said," Noble Consort Yun, I have a guess. Do you think the Snow Song Palace is hiding something valuable? Is that person trying to create a diversion to lure us away before taking the opportunity to steal something from the palace? "
Li Yijie mused, "When did that man arrive outside the door? Even I didn't notice … I'm not boasting, but if his purpose was to lure the tiger away from the mountain, he should have deliberately made some noise from the beginning. Why did he keep himself hidden and not make a move until someone called him out? Moreover, Yun 'er was the one who knew best about the treasures in the Snow Song Palace. If it was really important to the point that it was worth the effort of others to steal it, the surrounding areas would definitely double their vigilance. No matter what, they would not let others succeed so easily. Therefore, no matter how you look at it, the theory of stealing the treasure is absolutely impossible … "
Just as he was about to sigh inwardly at Nangong Xue's lack of experience in jianghu, he turned his gaze and saw that she was also looking at him with a sly smile. Li Yijie couldn't help but be stunned. Could it be that Nangong Xue knew the truth and deliberately tricked Shen Shiyun into going back to the palace to investigate so as to buy time for that person? Did she hope that the news would reach the Emperor's ears? Although it would be good to make him take precautions in advance, when he thought about how it would mean that their friendship as monarch and subject would be broken at the same time, he felt as if his heart was being cut by a knife.
Shen Shiyun seemed to have suddenly thought of something and said, "Yes, follow me back to the palace!" Without waiting for Li Yijie's reply, he turned around and left. The three of them rushed back to the Snow Song Palace and saw that the hall was empty. The small room was still the same as when they left. Shen Shiyun sneered and leaned against the window, saying, "Sure enough, it's not bad. It seems that the things that other people pretended to give can't be trusted. Xiao Xuan, that lowly girl, I'm afraid she's already at the Palace of Heavenly Purity. It's useless to chase after her. When she comes back, let's see how this consort will deal with her! "
Li Yijie was startled, saying, "You mean Xiao Xuan? She … how could she be like this? " Originally, he didn't have any bad feelings towards Cheng Jiaxuan, but later he heard that all of her evil deeds weren't of her own volition. Instead, she was instigated by someone else. As for the person behind the scenes, it was even related to a few dark truths. He didn't want to delve into the secrets behind it, so in the end, he simply let it go. However, there was always a shadow in his heart, so much so that he didn't even know who to hate.
Hearing Shen Shiyun's vicious words, he inwardly shivered and subconsciously advised, "Even if Xiao Xuan isn't in the palace right now, we still can't be sure that it's her. This child is very timid and honest. I don't think she'll tell on us. "
Shen Shiyun sneered, "She won't tell on us? Even though she didn't say much in front of His Majesty, who knows how many times she's told her adoptive father! She was a spy planted in the Snow Song Palace from the very beginning. Did she think I wouldn't know? She dared to act rashly under this consort's nose. I've already given the Prince Regent enough face by tolerating her until now. On the other hand, I don't want to let the Seven Malevolent Evildoers get what they want. But if this kind of girl isn't severely punished, how can this consort establish her prestige? "
Nangong Xue sighed, "She's just a child who doesn't understand anything. She'll obediently do whatever she's told to do after a few words of coaxing. Why should you lower yourself to her level? Isn't it more effective to subdue a subordinate's sincerity than to bring out a dead body? At the very least, you're the master and she's the servant. Their statuses are different … "
Shen Shiyun coldly said, "She's not young anymore. If she doesn't even have the ability to distinguish right from wrong and make her own decisions, it'd be better for her to die peacefully than to be manipulated by others. Humph, from your tone, do you think this consort is dragging her down with me before I die? That's a big mistake! It's just a little punishment for her betrayal. How can a lowly palace maid like her be buried with me? He used her to obtain information from the Prince Regent at the same time for his own use. Now that the two of us have officially agreed to cooperate, do you think he still needs this chess piece called his adoptive daughter? The bridge of extradition has already been used. If we keep it for a long time, it'll only give others an opportunity to take advantage of it. Has Lady Li never heard of the way of abandoning a child? Who can she blame if she doesn't take the path to heaven? It's been a long time since she betrayed me. She committed the same crime as Luo Jin in the past. The difference is that Luo Jin still has a repentant heart. Before this consort dealt with her, she took the blame and committed suicide, saving us a lot of trouble later. Xiao Xuan still has no regrets. I'm afraid that she'll be even more self-righteous about her sins. Does she think that she's superior by falling in love with an evil person who's hated by men and gods and who's spurned by good and evil? Very well, this consort will accompany her to the end. Let her see what kind of great ending her great perseverance will bring. "
Nangong Xue was speechless for a moment. Listening to Shen Shiyun's words, whether or not today's incident happened, she had already made up her mind to execute Cheng Jiaxuan. She couldn't help but sigh at her vengeful temperament. But if she were in her position, would she really allow a thorn in her side to betray her at all times?
Li Yijie wanted to persuade her again, but suddenly there was a noise outside the door. Two silhouettes quietly entered the palace. One of them said, "There's no one in the palace … Ay, thank you very much. We've safely passed." After a moment, the other voice said, "But it's strange. Where did they all go?"
Li Yijie jumped out and shouted, "Who's there?" The light outside the room was dim, but he could see a man and a woman standing in the middle of the hall, trembling and leaning against each other. It was Tang Yuancheng and Cheng Jiaxuan. What was even more surprising was that Cheng Jiaxuan was wearing Tang Yuancheng's outer robe. Tang Yuancheng's hair was messy and draped over his shoulders. There were two large dark circles under his eyes. These two usually didn't have any interactions. How did they appear together and make such a mess?
Without waiting for him to ask, Shen Shiyun and Nangong Xue also walked out. Li Yijie immediately put his sword back into its scabbard. Intentionally or unintentionally, he wanted to block her line of sight. He didn't know who he was covering for.
Unfortunately, the hall was empty. Everything could be seen at a glance. As soon as Shen Shiyun saw Tang Yuancheng, her heart suddenly brightened. "This guy betrayed me a long time ago. Maybe he wanted to rope in Xiao Xuan and secretly play tricks on me. Unfortunately, he found the wrong person. Fortunately, I've always been on guard. Xiao Xuan knows very little about me. No matter what, I can't cultivate a second Luo Jin. "
She stared coldly at Cheng Jiaxuan in front of her. After a long time, she let out a cold laugh and said, "Xiao Xuan, you still know to come back?" Her voice echoed clearly in the hall. In this dark environment, it added a bit of strangeness to the atmosphere.
Cheng Jiaxuan didn't dare to look her in the eyes. He stared at his feet and said softly, "Niangniang, did you leave the palace without permission last night and didn't come back for the whole night? This servant hurriedly rushed over to explain to you … "
Shen Shiyun snorted coldly and said, "You're really good. In the past, this consort appreciated you because of your extraordinary imagination. You made up excuses for me. You could come up with all kinds of strange reasons. Now, it's even better. You dare to lie in front of me, and you can still keep a straight face. Compared to the beginning, you've improved by more than one level. Very good. I can't help but admire you. "
Cheng Jiaxuan was shocked. His trembling body appeared even more frail and helpless. He said in a panic, "No … No, I was in a bad mood last night, so I drank with Tang Shaoshi. Later, I got drunk … I didn't wake up until the sun was high in the sky. I didn't dare to neglect you, so I came here to ask for your forgiveness … "
Although Shen Shiyun was smiling, her smile made people feel a chill in their bones. She said, "I say, Xiao Xuan, this lie of yours can't be considered clever. I don't know what kind of strong wine you drank, to be able to make someone who claims not to get drunk drunk sleep for a whole night. Tell me honestly, where were you from early morning to noon? I'm afraid that Tang Shaoshi's residence and my Snow Song Palace aren't that far apart, right? "
Cheng Jiaxuan was so anxious that his eyes turned red. Just as he was about to open his mouth to explain, his throat was blocked by the surging tears. Tang Yuancheng couldn't stand it anymore. He took a step forward and said with a frown, "Noble Consort Yun, when did you become so aggressive? Even if you want to overturn the impression I have of you, you don't have to change your appearance every three days and then change your appearance every five days, right? This kind of you is really making me more and more disappointed. I can testify that Xiao Xuan was drinking with me last night. I saw that she was depressed all day because of the Seven Evil Spirits, so I wanted to talk to her and try to resolve the knot in her heart. She didn't drink much, but sad people who want to escape from reality often get drunk very quickly. She didn't move, so I naturally couldn't move either. Originally, it was enough for her to come back alone, but I was worried that you wouldn't forgive her, so I came to accompany her to explain. It seems that I didn't make a wrong trip this time. As her master, why can't you put yourself in her shoes to understand her, care about her troubles, and only criticize her? "
Shen Shiyun sneered, "Since Tang Shaoshi has spoken, this consort has no reason to believe. Humph, you're really amazing. With just a few words, you were able to persuade our Little Saint of Love to change his mind? Little Xuan had once declared that she would not marry anyone else but him, and was even willing to die for him. Such an earth-shattering and unforgettable love, then I want to hear how you persuade her. "
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